Leeds law firm Clarion sees revenue surpass £10m in record year

Clarion, the Leeds-based law firm, has announced record results with revenues rising by 28% to £10.4m in the 12 months to 31 May 2016 (2015: £8.09m).

Profit also increased in the last financial year, increasing to £3.48m.

The firm reported financial growth across all areas with the corporate, property and litigation practices in particular performing strongly.

Although insolvency, employment and family faced more challenging conditions, they too continued to grow.

During 2015/16, Clarion saw a number of high profile client wins as well as new corporate mandates from Hesco, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Weston Communications.

The law firm has seen staff numbers increase by 10% to 125 people including 21 partners and recently took on an additional floor at its Elizabeth House head office.

Roger Hutton, joint managing partner of Clarion, said: “Having sold our criminal practice at the end of 2014, over the last couple of years we have been able to focus on what we do best – advising owner managed businesses and large corporates.

“I see our successful results as a ‘coming of age’ for Clarion, the market is excited about what we’re doing, and our brand is now well established and trusted for what it represents.

“Increasingly, we’ve seen large corporates buying our business services such as commercial property, IP and employment, as we have successfully attracted partners from other larger firms and proved able to offer a more cost effective service.

“We offer the same deep expertise to SMEs which reap the benefit of highly able partners, but in a more flexible and commercial environment, better suited to their needs.”

Clarion has grown over the last 12 months with a number of key appointments including Viv Wild joining from London law firm Stephenson Harwood to lead the firm’s private client team; Ben Lamb, formerly of Gordons, to strengthen the commercial property team; and Tony Berry from Addleshaw Goddard as legal director in the corporate team.

Mr Hutton continued: “As a firm which is steadfastly committed to remaining independent, we focus on the long-term, investing our time in building close relationships with clients, really understanding their business and growing with them.

“Clarion has become renowned as an expert in working with business owners and we expect this part of the market to continue to grow over the next five years.”

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